Kenya's military launched a major operation on Sunday, later saying it had rescued "most" of the hostages being held captive by the al-Qaeda-linked militants during a two-day standoff that killed at least 68 people and injured 175.

At daybreak on Monday, however, about five minutes of sustained gunfire could be heard being fired out of the mall, a clear indication that at least one gunman was still free and that the standoff continued.